AtlAs of GHG Emission And EnErGy PotEntiAl by Waste Destination in brazil

Transcription

1 AtlAs of GHG Emission And EnErGy PotEntiAl by Waste Destination in brazil

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3 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil SUPPORT This publication was developed under Assistance Agreement awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It has not been formally reviewed by EPA.

10 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil Introduction The project that brought this publication into reality had the purpose of creating the first Brazilian Atlas on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions specifically generated from final disposal sites for urban solid waste, as well as to estimate its energy potential. The Atlas was a project chosen by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be funded by the Landfill Methane Outreach Program, which helps to reduce methane emissions from landfills by encouraging the recovery and beneficial use of Landfill Gas (LFG) as an energy resource. The production of the document was commissioned to MGM Innova, a leading consultancy firm in the GHG reduction market that specializes in low carbon services and solutions. As a starting point, the document presents updated statistical information on waste generation in Brazil, the kind of final disposal per region and state, the emissions derived from these disposal areas and respective energy potential, as well as an overview of potential opportunities to explore on generation of carbon credits, and case studies related to three waste disposal sites. The document s context brings an analysis of the different technologies in place for energy use of biogas, and specific considerations to be taken into account when selecting the most suitable technology according to the particular context of a given project, in order to make it easier to decide which solution is the most appropriate. In addition to this scope, the document also presents a review of the different programs and incentives used in Brazil for recovery and use of landfill gas, their impact, and potential measures to be taken for this renewable source to achieve a greater participation in the Brazilian energy matrix. All of this makes the Brazilian Atlas on GHG Emission and Energy Potential for Solid Waste Disposal the first of its kind in Brazil. By presenting updated data and statistics with scientificbased analyses, the Atlas will help to have a better understanding of the dynamics and trends of the carbon market in the solid waste sector, which will surely contribute for new successful initiatives to take place. Carlos RV Silva Filho ABRELPE 10

11 Introduction 1 Brasil 11

12 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil Executive summary The primary purpose of this document is to present an overview of GHG emissions at Solid Waste Disposal Sites (SWDS) in Brazil, and identify the potential for the implementation of emission mitigation projects, including the component of energy utilization of the generated biogas. The purpose of this document is to serve as a reference for everyone who is related to solid waste management and final disposal, and for the different stakeholders; and as an instrument to promote the use of renewable energy sources. According to the sources consulted during the development of this Atlas, in 2011 approximately 198,000 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) were produced in Brazil per day, which equals about 62 million tons of MSW per year. Of the total waste produced, 90 percent, equivalent to about 180,000 t/day, is collected. Of the waste collected in 2011, 58 percent was disposed of in sanitary landfills, 24 percent went to controlled landfills, and 17 percent ended up in dumpsites. This means that some 75,000 t/day are still improperly deposited in dumpsites or controlled landfills, which lack the systems and procedures necessary to protect the environment against damage and degradation. Despite all legal determinations and efforts, improper USW disposal continues to be common practice in all Brazilian states. According to the data available for 2011, the Southeast Region generates about half of the total waste produced in Brazil, or 97,000 t/day. In second place comes the Northeast Region, which produces about 50,000 tons of waste per day (25%), followed by the South, the Mid-West and the North, each of which generates about 7% to 10%. The available data also show that the Southeast and South have greater percentages of waste disposed at sanitary landfills (72% and 70%, respectively) compared to the other regions, whereas the North has the highest amount of dumpsite disposal (35%). Final disposal sites have potential to develop greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation projects, as the final product of decomposition of solid waste under confined, oxygen-free conditions is biogas, a methane-rich GHG. 12

13 Executive summary Basically, mitigation projects consist in the capture, flaring and/or use of the energy content of biogas to produce electricity and heat, or to be used as natural gas following treatment, thereby preventing its emission to the atmosphere. Such mitigation projects are eligible to take part in the well-known international carbon markets. The main scheme that was being used for these projects was the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). However, given the uncertainty surrounding the results of international negotiations related to future GHG emission reduction agreements and, consequently, price estimates of the emission reductions to be produced by the projects, as well as the complexity of the CDM procedures, new carbon platforms in the voluntary market are turning out to be interesting for this kind of project. One example is the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), which is similar to the CDM in many aspects, but has more streamlined procedures and is not subject to regulatory issues and decisions involving international negotiations. By June 2012, 10,266 projects had been or were being developed under the CDM. By late December, however, only 5,511 projects had been registered under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Most of the registered CDM projects are located in China, with 48.9% of the total. Brazil has 4.7 percent of the registered projects. With regards to the type and category of the registered projects, most of them fall under the Energy Industries category, which includes mainly renewable energy projects and represents almost 70 percent of the total CDM projects on a global basis. The solid waste sector accounts for about 13 percent of all registered CDM projects. This sector includes projects involving landfills, waste utilization (composting, incineration, gasification, RDF), manure management, and wastewater. To date, 46 CDM projects and one Program of Activities (PoA) have been identified in Brazil under Category 13: waste management and disposal, sub-category sanitary landfills. These projects are at various stages of the CDM project cycle. Most of the projects 33 in total are located in the Southeast Region, followed by the Northeast, South and North Regions, with 7, 4, and 2 projects, respectively. No projects have been identified in the Mid-West Region. Of the 46 projects mentioned above, 23 projects (50%) consider capture/flaring of recovered biogas. Of these, 15 projects (65%) are in the Southeast Region, followed by the South Region, with 4 projects (18%); the Northeast Region with 3 projects (16%) and the North Region with a single project (4%). The remaining 50 percent include energy utilization of biogas. Of these, 22 include energy generation and only one considers purifying biogas for injection into a natural gas network. The overall installed capacity stated for electricity generation in the verified Project Design Documents (PDDs) of these projects is 254 MW. Of all registered CDM Brazilian projects that include an electricity generation component from biogas in their PDD, only two reported electricity generation, namely: Bandeirantes and São João landfill gas projects. 13

14 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil Both are located in the Southeast Region, in the state of São Paulo. Bandeirantes generated 755,700 MWh between 2004 and 2010, while São João generated about 476,900 MWh from March 2008 to May 2012, adding up to a total of about 1.2 million MWh. The Brazilian National Policy on Solid Waste (known by its acronym in Portuguese, PNRS), which was passed on August 2, 2010, provides the key regulatory framework for the waste sector in the country, and shall hopefully have a positive impact. By seeking better waste treatment quality, promoting the separation and proper disposal of waste, prioritizing recycling for packages, and creating favorable conditions for the introduction of inter-municipal consortia, the PNRS brings sustainability matters to waste-related procedures. This has a direct impact on the development of new opportunities for implementation of biogas capture projects in landfills, with the consequent production of energy and GHG emission reductions. Furthermore, in late-2009, the Brazilian Government assumed a voluntary, nationwide commitment to set mitigation measures in order to reduce the country s emissions by % against their Business-as-usual for This commitment was established under Law # 12,187 of December 29, 2009, which launched the National Policy on Climate Change (PNMC). The PNMC was regulated by Decree # 7,390 of December 9, There is currently no specific legislation in Brazil that specifically refers to a GHG emission reduction plan for solid waste and landfills; however, discussions to implement such a plan are already under way. Authorities are also analyzing the possibility of creating a national cap and trade carbon market, similar to those which are being set up by several countries and states worldwide. Numerous models have been proposed to predict the amount of methane produced throughout the lifetime of a landfill. These models generally fall into four different categories: zero-order, first-order, multi-phase, and second-order. All these models need basic information in order to estimate the biogas generation potential. More accurate models require more parameters. Typically, one must know at least the amount of disposed waste, the composition and characteristics of the waste, and the environmental conditions of the zone in which the landfill is located, such as temperature and precipitation. Additionally, knowledge of the operational conditions in the landfill makes it possible to make some adjustments that will allow for more accurate results during modeling. The IPCC method was chosen for the estimation of biogas in the different waste disposal sites and Brazilian regions. The main reason for choosing this method was availability of information; besides, this method is consistent with the method used to carry out inventories and national GHG emission communications. A thirty year time span covering between 2009 and 2039 was chosen for the modeling exercise. The results indicate that over this period waste disposal could produce about 892 million CO2e, which represents an average of 29.7 million tons/yr. The Southeast Region is estimated to generate about 60% of the emissions in Brazil, followed by the Northeast, with 18%. The Mid-West and South regions would generate about 8% each, and finally, the North Region would be responsible for about 6%. With regards to how GHG emissions would be distributed according to the type of final disposal and region, about 69% of the emissions in sanitary landfills would occur in sites in the Southeast Region, while the Northeast Region would have the highest share in dumpsite emissions. 14

15 Executive summary Based on the results of the modeling and by applying some conservative assumptions for energy-fromlandfill-gas, Brazil has an energy potential of about 282 MW additional to that expected from already-registered CDM projects. This is a preliminary figure, which may vary depending on operational conditions in Brazilian sanitary landfills. The highest potential lies clearly in the Southeast Region, which could potentially reach 170 MW in installed capacity. The Northeast Region has a potential of 49 MW, while the South, Mid-West and North have similar capacities of 23MW, 22MW and 18MW, respectively. Finally, the last part of the document illustrates some case studies related to recovery, flaring and utilization of biogas at three waste disposal sites in Brazil. The main purpose of these case studies is to show how these kind of projects are usually assessed, as well as the results and conclusions obtained in each case. 15

16 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil 1 Solid waste generation and disposal in Brazil As a first step in the development of the Brazilian GHG Emission and Energy Atlas, the context of the municipal solid waste (MSW) industry in Brazil, and how MSW is disposed of in the country is examined With this in mind, we used the most recent reference data reported by ABRELPE in its study Panorama dos Resíduos Sólidos Brasil 2011 (Brazil Solid Waste Outlook 2011). ABRELPE is an organization of companies that works towards creating, expanding, developing and strengthening the solid waste management market, in collaboration with public and private sectors, with the aim of improving operating conditions for the companies. It focuses on proactively disseminating new techniques and promoting and universalizing solid waste management procedures in Brazil, and positioning itself as a reference for environmental sustainability. The information used in this section includes generation and type of final waste disposal amongst the different Brazilian regions and states during 2010 and In 2011, Brazil produced approximately 198,000 tons of MSW/day, equivalent to about 62 million tons/year. About 90% of the total waste produced i.e., about 180,000 t/day of waste was collected. Of this, 58% was disposed of in sanitary landfills, 24% went to controlled landfills, and 17% to dumpsites. This means that some 75,000 t/day are still improperly transferred to dumpsites or controlled landfills, which lack the systems and procedures necessary to protect the environment against damage and degradation. Despite all legal determinations and efforts, improper MSW disposal continues to be a normal practice in all Brazilian states. The following tables and charts summarize the status of generation, collection and disposal per region and state in Brazil in 2010 and 2011: 16

18 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil As per available data, in 2011, the Southeast Region was responsible for about half of the total waste generated in the country, i.e., 97,000 t/day (49% of total waste). The second largest region in terms of waste generation was the Northeast, which produced 50,000 t/day (22% of total waste). The South, Mid-West and North Regions each contribute 7% to 10% of the total waste. Again, according to available data, the Southeast and the South have a greater percentage of waste disposed at controlled landfills (72% and 70%, respectively), whereas the North region has the highest disposal rate in dumpsites (35%). As described in an upcoming section, this distribution of the MSW final disposal has a direct impact on biogas generation. Figure 1. MSW Collected and Generated in Brazil per Region 2011 Source: Prepared with data provided by ABRELPE Tons/day North Northeast Mid-West Southeast South Generated MSW (t/day) Collected MSW (t/day) Figure 2. Distribution of the Amount of MSW Generated and Collected per Region 2011 Source: Prepared with data provided by ABRELPE 10% 7% 26% 11% 6% 22% North Northeast Mid-West 49% 8% 53% 8% Southeast South Generated MSW Collected MSW 18

19 1 Solid waste generation and disposal in Brazil Figure 3. Final Destination of MSW per Region 2011 Source: Prepared with data provided by ABRELPE, % 35% 22% 29% Region North Region Mid-West 30% 49% 11% Region Northeast 32% 35% Region Southeast 17% 33% 72% 12% Region South 18% Sanitary Landfill Controlled Landfill 70% Dumpsite 1.1 National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) The Brazilian National Policy on Solid Waste (known by its acronym in Portuguese, PNRS), which was passed on August 2, 2010, is considered key for the solution of the waste problem in Brazil, as it contributes to tackle environmental, social and economical issues. The PNRS determines the targets and rules to be followed by the stakeholders involved in different cycles of production of solid waste. The following are some of the relevant topics covered by the PNRS: 1. Closure of dumpsites and their replacement with sanitary landfills by 2014; 2. Development of solid waste management plans with municipalities, guiding them and their citizens on how to properly manage waste; 3. Development of sector agreements among the generation and consumption chain, aiming to enforce a shared responsibility for the product life cycle. 19

20 Atlas of GHG Emission and Energy Potential by Waste Destination in Brazil By seeking better waste treatment quality, promoting the separation and proper disposal of waste, prioritizing recycling for packages, and creating favorable conditions for the introduction of inter-municipal consortia, the PNRS brings sustainability matters to waste-related procedures. This has a direct impact on the development of new opportunities for implementation of biogas capture projects in landfills, with the consequent production of energy and GHG emission reductions. The forecasts and opportunities created by the PNRS are very promising, even though the path ahead remains long and challenging. One of the main barriers to this process has already been overcome: the approval of the PNRS after years of discussion. Its Enforcement Decree was published on December 23, 2010; what remains now is to work so that the community mobilizes for the PNRS to become a real, effective sustainability asset for the country. 20

21 2 Carbon market: history, evolution, trends 2 Carbon market: history, evolution, trends 2.1 Climate Change The IPCC defines climate change as any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. The IPCC concluded that climate change has an impact on and increases the vulnerability of ecosystems, hydro resources, food safety, settlements and communities, and human health. Climate change is considered a global environmental problem, in contrary of the local air pollution, as the smog caused by the emission of regulated pollutants (SOx e NOx, ozone and particles). Scientists highlight the increasing of the average temperature (United States Global Change Research Program, 2012), meanwhile some analysts observe the increase of extreme climate events. The Kyoto Protocol (KP) Is an international UN-sponsored agreement, signed in 1997 by 59 countries in the city of Kyoto, Japan. The Protocol is within the scope of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, aimed at reducing the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in industrialized nations through actions that correspond to an average reduction of 5% over the amount emitted by the country in 1990 and establishing a clean development model for emerging countries. The KP recognizes six Greenhouse Gases (GHG): CO2, CH4, N2O, PFCs, HFCs, and SF6. Besides acknowledging greenhouse gases, the Protocol also separated the participating countries into two groups: Annex I Industrialized countries that committed to reach carbon levels equivalent to 5% below their 1990 emissions during Non-Annex I Developing countries, among these, Brazil. 21

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